Bane of Kings reviews the self-published, free on Amazon short story by D.E.M Emrys, From Man to Man. As this is a short story, it’ll be a shorter review than normal with a slightly adjusted format to the normal, full length novel reviews.

“A great short teaser that keeps the reader entertained and leaves them wanting more.” ~The Founding Fields

“I’ve traded my old enemies for just this one…’ The axe thundered home. ‘I miss the old ones.”

Every man has a past, none more so than Draven Reinhardt. Abandoning his old life to settle down as a villager, he struggles to fit in, let alone hold down a job. When opportunity offers the much needed coin, Draven is torn between a promise and a purpose. 

But, what’s one last job if you’ve already got blood on your hands?

‘From Man to Man’ is the story of how one man can change – or not – for the best. Prequel to the upcoming novel ‘It Began With Ashes’, the short (6400 words) introduces the reader to a world of suspense, intrigue, and action.

The short story itself is an interesting beast. D.E.M Emrys really manages to write a great entertaining piece of fiction, and is another read that proves that self published doesn’t mean bad writing. I didn’t notice any errors throughout this short and it had a great level of professional quality apart from a few sentences that felt awkward, but they were the only issues that I had with it. The book itself draws some inspiration from David Gemmell, and fans of the author’s work will find something to enjoy in this short story.

The character that takes center stage here in From Man to Man is Draven Reinhardt, and his story is an interesting choice to tell the short from. He’s having trouble adapting to his normal life and you can tell that his past still hangs over him. The short itself reads very quickly and tells the story of Draven’s fight against bandits who have come to steal the taxpayer’s money, so whilst the outcome may never be in doubt, D.E.M Emrys’ short has provided the reader with an interesting glimpse of what we can expect from his work and especially with the currently released It Began with Ashes being quite cheap on Amazon’s Kindle Store, I can’t wait to explore more of the Wroge Elements Universe and see where  Emrys takes the  story from here.

The short itself is quick and entertaining, and Draven has a strong internal monologue that was great to read about. I enjoyed the book itself as a whole and whilst it is too short to get a full taste of what Emrys’ writing style is like, It does leave you wanting to see more. Emrys writes a short action scene towards the end of the story and this is where his writing strength truly lies, and I’d love to see him write a full-blown battle.

VERDICT: 4/5

Free fiction! Who doesn’t love that? It’s a great sample into D.E.M Emrys’ writing style and whilst there are a few minor sentances that didn’t fit, you won’t ruin your reading experience. It was a bit on the short side though – and I’d love to read a longer installment.

WROGE ELEMENTS: From Man To Man, It Began With Ashes